Immune System
The Immune System
From fending off the common cold to attacking cancer cells, the immune system is an incredibly complicated and crucial part of our survival.
Each time it mounts a response, the immune system must quickly and carefully orchestrate communication across vast numbers of cells and molecules.
Explore how the immune system protects usWe can completely reimagine how our cities, hospitals, and families prepare for and deal with cold and flu season.”Bill Hanage
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
With COVID added to the mix of viruses that typically circulate every year—including influenza, RSV, and other respiratory viruses—experts say “sick season” is likely to be worse, and longer, going forward.
Learn more about these viruses:
Boosting what we know
Scholars at Harvard are working to discover even more secrets of the immune system, from how it protects us to how it can be strengthened.
This might be a golden age for human immunology.”Shiv Pillai
Harvard Medical School
Scientists are working to better understand early-life immunity
Scientists are working to better understand early-life immunityThe beneficial effects of exercise may be driven by the immune system
Studies of deep-sea microbes showed that immunity can cross evolutionary distances
Scientists are investigating how the immune system goes awry
Research suggests that the thymus plays a vital role in immune health
Researchers discovered that the gut microbiome is critical in the immune system's development
How can you improve your immune system?
Our immune systems do a remarkable job of defending against infection, but sometimes they need some support.
How does gut health impact our immunity?
A Harvard study found an intricate interplay between gut microbes, food, and immunity.
What can we do to keep our children healthy?
A Harvard medical school professor offers advice on how to help boost your child’s immunity.
Learning from the past
Inoculation
Vaccination has been credited with reducing the rates of numerous infectious diseases—and in the case of smallpox, eliminating the disease entirely.
Infection
When European nations began to colonize other parts of the world, illness spread among people with no immunity.
Germ theory
Germ theory—which states that specific microscopic organisms are the cause of specific diseases—was developed, proved, and popularized in Europe and North America between 1850 and 1920.
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